Random Access

Wednesday
Typical start to the day.
Typical middle.
The end was a little different.

I had dinner at Sampan with and . Mmm, Chinese food. Strolled through the mall and saw some of the HALO action figures (Blue Master Chief and the Banshee… but I want Sargeant Johnson, too) and the “Battle Damaged” MechWarrior Mad Cat II and Jupiter die-cast figures. And the MW ones are on sale. Methinks that I will have ‘Mechs, after all.

And there was a Bank of America ATM in the mall!!!
A tiny vestige of civilization from back home!
I was so happy, I ran up to it and hugged it!

Came home and watched Adult Swim and putzed around on the computer. I had planned to do something productive on it. No go. “Laziness” was the operative word… and I went with it.

I got a call from home around 11:30 PM. It was my father. He handed the phone to my sister. She’s getting married. Ô_õ Congratulations to her and ! (More on this in the QotD, below.)

Stray Toasters

• Gummy bears.
• Sissy is chasing her tail on the other chair again.
• Utah drivers. *twitch*
• and I were having a discussion about the two versions of Ocean’s Eleven. I like both versions, but there is… something… about the older version that has a style to it that the new one doesn’t. Maybe it’s just a Rat Pack thing.
• Airtoons
• Sometimes, a short walk can be the perfect addition to your day.
• From Backwash: Chainsaw Chick, the chainsaw artwork of Cherie Currie, former vocalist for The Runaways.
• Also by way of Backwash: This. Irreverant, but funny… and 99.7% work safe.

Quotes of the Day

Item #1:

[00:03] : yea your dad sat to the side watching mrs. n and rana go back and forth
[00:03] : mrs. n kept going “my baby’s gettin’ married”
[00:04] : dad goes “young man…my sympathies.”
[00:04] : I [heart] my dad.
[00:05] : yea he was in rare form

Item #2

[15:37] : Oh… what was the word on the door?
[15:37] : Panes?
[15:37] : $108! 8/
[15:37] : Total?
[15:37] : they’re coming to fix it monday.
[15:37] : yeah.
[15:37] : That’s NOT bad.
[15:37] : for 2 stupid panes of tiny glass? : “)
[15:38] : Unless you’re going to blow it yourself…
[15:38] : i guess it’s some weird tempered glass they have to order in, that’s why monday.
[15:38] : yeah yeah. : “)
[15:38] : …said the Actress to the Bishop.
[15:38] : 😉
[15:38] : bwahahahahha!!

Namaste.

Tuesday
(But I’m not entirely sure that it wasn’t Monday 2.0)

I normally wake up around 8:30, unless I’m going to the gym; in that case, I wake up around 7:15-7:30. This morning, after sleeping excruciatingly poorly, I was awakened a few minutes before the alarm went off. By the phone. *braincramp* It was the auto shop – one of yesterday’s errands was to drop off my car. He was calling with the suggested items to be taken care of and the estimates. Oy vey.. This is not the way that one would/should choose to wake up. But, it needs to get done.

The rest of the day wasn’t bad, but I was a tad grumpy until later this evening. After dinner, and since 24 was pre-empted until Sunday night, I went for a drive. There’s something about getting out on the road that helps clear the mind. And the jazz (music, not team) on the radio didn’t hurt, either.

I got a call from asking if I wanted to hang out for a bit; I did. She, , Christopher and I went to Greenhouse Effect for coffee and chat. It was good. And, it helped to ease the last bit of tension/irritation in my mind.

Stray Toasters

• Peanut M&M’s.
• Internet Bumper Stickers
• While going through old posts again, I came across: The American Pantheon.
• A little something for : 1, 2, 3
• A little something for : Guess who…
• A little something for : 1
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” file:Grow
• Sodaplay
• I’ve mentioned my affinity for Backwash and Adult Backwash, but I have neglected to mention yet another aspect: BackwashKIDS! (Parents: There aren’t any direct links from BWKids to the other parts of the Backwash domain.)
• I’m not sure if this is “the latest and greatest” or “the next big thing” in fashion, but…. here’s The No-Contact Jacket. (Think: “Taser in clothing form.”)

Now that I have overshot my intended bedtime by at least an hour, I’m calling it a night. Tomorrow is Wednesday – that makes everything just a little better.

Namaste.

Monday
It’s been a beautiful, blue-skied day here in the Land Behind the Zion Curtain.
Today was “Taking Care of Errands” Day.
And they were taken care of.

Tonight is Game Night.
<note to self>
Don’t forget to take the Adventure! sourcebook for Nyx.
</note to self>

Stray Toasters

• Even though I have it in my Favorites: Entertainment bookmarks folder, I “forget” that I have a link to Cinescape.com. Last night, I saw it and decided to rummage through. Good thing that I did or else I would have missed the link to Joyride Studios. And, thus, I would not have known about their figures for:
  

  

  

  I don’t think that the English language has the words to express just how wrong that would have been.

• and : Click here.
• : Click here, too.
• We saw this while driving around this afternoon.
• And, while on the topic of “mullets,” as much of a fan of Longshot as I was, there’s no denying that he has the mother of all mullets in comicdom.
• And, by way of : MulletJunky and The Doom Song.
• Can you say “Covet,” boys and girls? Look at this and then repeat after me: “Mmm. Covet.” (If anyone is wondering what to get for my birthday, this would be a welcome item. And, you’re even getting six (6) months’ advance warning!)
• Evil Pictograms
• By way of Backwash: Diary Quotes
• Also from Backwash: The Room
  (Even though it’s set up like a meme, this seems to be some sort of promotional ad-thing for Umbra. But they seem to have some cool items for sale.)

That’s all for now. Time to get ready for tonight.

Namaste.

Sunday
I hope that everyone is having a safe and peaceful day, whether you celebrate the holiday or not.

It’s been a lazy day around here.
I talked with the parental units and my uncle, I may try calling the sibko in a bit.

I have spent the past hour or so copying over the pictures from the White Trash Party at and ‘s house.
Many pictures.
They can be found here. (And for those of you who were caught here in compromising positions, remember: I have the original pictures and Photoshop. And, I’m not above blackmail.)

Time to get ready to head to ‘s parents’ house for Easter dinner.

Namaste.

Saturday
Today was a good day, the highlights of which include:

• Brunch with and
• White Trash Party at and ‘s house.

More details will follow sometime after I regain consciousness. How soon after, I have no idea.

Happy Easter to everyone.

Namaste.

Friday
Not too much to say.
The day was good, made better by the fact that it was “Friday.”
The evening was spent with the usual assortment of friends.

Stray Toasters

• Once again, A Modest Destiny brings a smile to my face.
• For those who haven’t yet seen it: Spider-Man 2 Trailer
• From PBS‘ Robert X. Cringely: The Only Way Microsoft Can Die Is by Suicide
• Build your own Steadycam… for only $14. (What a bargain!)

Quote of the Day

Dee: Mine is world domination… but I’ll settle for regional influence.
(Talking about things we want over coffee tonight)

I should probably make an attempt at getting some sleep.

Namaste.

Thursday
Weekend = One Day Away.
Now, the question is: Will it be a full day or a half day? Decisions, decisions…

NPR Stories
The big item in the news today was Dr. Condoleezza Rice’s appearance before the September 11th investigation commission.
And, in other news…
Talk of the Nation: Changing Minds
All Things Considered: Ford’s Mustang Turns 40
All Things Considered: Illinois Apologizes for 1844 Murder of Mormon Leader

Stray Toasters

• A Modest Destiny
  What’s love meatloaf got to do… got to do with it?

• http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?gameid=955
• I just saw the new Spider-Man 2 trailer. *jawdrop*
• From Grist Magazine: Control-Alt-Recycle
• Spontaneous Combustion?
• It’s time for another Slashdot Poll!
• Having posted a link to “Subservient Chicken” last night, I just saw a Burger King commercial with the chicken in it. *shiver*
• Is there a PC game that you used to play years ago that holds a special place in your memory? Do you think that it deserves another chance? Home of the Underdogs probably thinks so, too.
• Get to Sleep… Even When You’re Stressed.
• There’s an ad campaign here that deals with “how bad the sun is for you.” These commercials are almost as annoying as some of the anti-smoking ads or the Totally Awesome/PC Laptops commericals that I rant about. Almost. But, they are gaining ground.

“Mr. Toad, how many licks of you does it take to get to the center of a Rhode Island prison?”

It’s midnight-ish. That means it’s gymtime!

<Update>
1:23 am
Gym GOOOD!!!
:::gesture:::
That seems to have fit the bill. Now for a lite snack, a shower and then, off to The Dreaming.
</Update>

Namaste.

Wednesday
Today was a good day. I had a quiet day at work – I was able to work without any interruptions/distractions – and I got a few things done. This comes under the heading of “good.”

After work, I didn’t do much. Got on the nerd and chatted; I even managed to catch my uncle and have a brief conversation with him. I mentioned an article from Slashdot (Playing Video Games Makes For Better Surgeons) because, well… he’s a surgeon. His response:

[20:44] [Uncle]: so he confuses reality with the game…. Is it the appendix or al Queda???

He makes me laugh. I’ll have to give him a call tomorrow.

Popped down to Cheers for dinner… and watched as a customer left a picture of herself and her number for Jon. Then, she and her friends waited to see if he would notice it and pick it up. It was oddly amusing.

Stray Toasters

• I was going through some old posts, for a project that I’m working on and came across a couple that caught my attention as being worthy of an “encore presentation:” 1, 2 (mainly for ‘Toasters #2, 3 and 8).
• I also came across the link for Gridlock again.
• I really don’t know what to make of this, by way of . As he said, “Someone had a lot of time.”
• Marvels: 10th Anniversary Edition. Wow.
• I realize that it’s from a comic book, but in this picture, doesn’t Wolverine’s right calf look… disproportionate?
• Metroid. A Nintendo video game franchise.
  John Woo. Acclaimed action movie director.
  What do you get when you put them together? This.

• The Bitch Girls: Care Bears
• The Art of Luis Royo

“So Long, Farewell, Goodbye…” -Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Namaste.

It was a good day.
Nothing too much out of the ordinary happened.

Stray Toasters

• A post-work stop at the library yielded Robert B. Parker’s Back Story (a Spenser novel) and Piers Anthony’s With a Tangled Skein, both on CD.
• In the words of Morris Day: “Whose drawers? MY drawers! (Slap me!)”
  (Big Headed)

• : I saw this and thought that you would appreciate it.
• : I apologize in advance for this, but it made me laugh.
• I reread Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown (1, 2, 3, 4) last week; I hadn’t read it in many years. It’s an unlikely buddy story featuring one of Marvel Comics’ most famous (and favored) characters and one who has lived in his more famous older brother’s (Cyclops) shadow. One of the neat things about this mini-series is that it was painted… by two artists: Jon J. Muth did the Havok art, Kent Williams did the Wolverine art. And this was years before Alex Ross became the de facto pinnacle of painted comicdom. The story is full of end-of-the Cold War themes, but it is not too over the top. Nor does it reek of superheroes and spandex – it has more of an espionage/thriller feel to it. It was worth reading again.
• Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time
• Back to comics-related stuff, for a sec. I came across Gay League somewhere during today’s surfing. As the site describes itself:
  

  The Gay League is an online community for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Transsexual, and just plain friendly comic fans, collectors and creators worldwide. The purpose of the Gay League is to have a safe, hate-free, fun environment to read about, discuss, review, discover, trade, buy, sell, and learn information about comics – and make some friends online along the way.

  And that seems pretty damned cool to me.

• sent me this. She’s my little sister and I love her dearly, but… *sigh* As it was playing, I had an even worse thought: If they ever did a live-action South Park movie, they should cast Mr. T as Chef.

Quote of the Day
“Yeah, I understand. As if.” – Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop

Namaste.

Tuesday
So far, so good.

I just christened the new coffee maker.
Bean squeezin’s. Mmmm.

Last night’s game was fun. In a quirky way. See ‘s post for details.

While there, I finally finished the picture that I’ve been sporadically working on for the past week.

   

Time to hit the road.

Namaste.

As received from …
I’m not usually given to taking – let alone passing along – quizzes, but this one seemed interesting.

Subject: Re: Get to know your friends better, Make sure you read the instructions at the bottom and have fun.

1. What time is it? 12:21 P.M.
2. Name: Robert Neal
3. Name on birth certificate: Robert Alonzo Neal, Jr.
4. Nickname: Rob
5. Number of candles on your last birthday cake: None, as I recall.
6. Tattoos: None, but considering one or two.
7. Pets: Two cats
8. Natural hair color: Black
9. What friend will have the most entertaining answers: Melissa
10. Eye Color: Brown
11. How much do you love your job on a scale of 1-10? Overall: 8-9, but random problems can drop it to a 3 or 4
12. Where were you born? Baltimore, MD
13. Current residence: West Jordan, UT (or Salt Lake City, for those on the other side of the Zion Curtain)
14. Somewhere you would like to visit? Japan
15. Been to Africa? No
16. Been toilet papering? No
17. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes.
18. Been in a car accident? Yes
19. Croutons or bacon bits? Yes
20. Favorite day of the week? Any that end in “-day,” with favor leaning towards Saturday
21. Favorite word or phrase? “Nine Hells,” usually used in the phrase “What in the Nine Hells?!?”
22. Favorite Restaurant? Phillip’s Restaurant (Baltimore), Grady’s American Grill (Greensboro, NC)
23. Favorite flower? I don’t think that I have a “favorite.”
24. Favorite sport to play? Basketball
25. Favorite drink? Coffee, tea, or Slurpees!
26. Favorite Ice Cream? Jamocha Almond Fudge or Rocky Road (depending on mood)
27. Favorite fast food restaurant? Umm… how hungry am I and what’s the closest?
28. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige
29. How many times did you fail your drivers test? None
30. Besides this one, from whom did you get your last email? A magazine
31. Which store would you choose to Max out your credit card? IKEA (anyone who knows me could have answered this one)
32. What do you do most often when you are bored? Play computer games, play guitar, draw
33. Most annoying thing people ask/tell me? Varies, depending on my mood
34. Bedtime: Varies (way too much), though I try to hit the rack by 2:00 A.M.
35. Who will respond to this email the quickest? Dunno
36. Who is the person that is least likely to respond? Dunno this one either.
37. Favorite TV shows: 24, the Law & Order shows, Justice League, Witch Hunter Robin, CSI.
38. Favorite meal to cook? Baked chicken or steak with stir-fry vegetables
39. Favorite automobile? MG Midget
40. Time you finished this e-mail: 12:34 P.M.

Copy or forward this entire email or copy and paste it into a new email that you will send. Copy answers into a reply to this post and then make an entry in your own journal. Change all of the answers so that they apply to you. THEN send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Remember to send it back.

Happy Birthday to:

• (belated)

I’ve been meaning to post this in an entry for the past few days, but I’ve forgotten it each time. So, you get a stand-alone entry.

I hope that the new year is good for you all.

Sunday (coda)
The “rest of the day,” as referenced in my previous post, was good.

We braved the masses at Ye Olde Marte of Walton SuperCentre and bought groceries. We had figured that there wouldn’t be too many people there today as it is LDS Church Conference weekend. We were wrong. Oh, so wrong. Every other non-LDS person in the tri-state area (okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea) also decided to go shopping this afternoon, too. We picked up four (4) 73-quart storage containers; they were on clearance for $1.75 a piece. In the words of Eddie Murphy: “What a bargain! What a bargain for me!” We also picked up a new 12-cup coffee maker for a shade under $8.00. Maybe now I’ll be more apt to brew coffee in the morning now that I have a coffee maker that brews more than 4 (small) cups at a time.

Later, we headed over to Mary’s and cooked out. It was a great afternoon for it. There was meat, meat, meat, meat, meat and more meat on the grill. It is safe to say that there were a fair number of carnivores/omnivores present. And there were tasty malt beverages, too.

An odd thing happened around 8:00. I got tired. VERY tired. Droopy-eyed, almost-ready-to-fall-asleep tired. I am currently attributing this to the combination of: Daylight Savings Time, the bike ride, and gorging myself on food and beer. Whatever it was, it came down on me fast and hard. We left Mary’s around 8:30 and came home. I don’t remember most of the ride home. I barely remember that Jess stopped to get gas on the way home. I came in, put my things down and crashed on the bed. I slept for a half-hour, but it seemed more like I had hardly closed my eyes when Jess came in to wake me up. I killed an hour “on the nerd¹” (as our friend Bill would say) when I realized that I was getting stiff/sore from the ride. A hot soak and shower were in order! And they were good.

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation Sunday afternoon and evening.

Stray Toasters

• I was surfing around Backwash and came across a link for Movie Posters that Don’t Exist on Dribbleglass.com. After I looked at the posters, I looked at other parts of the site. It was rather amusing.
• Frank Cho is the author of Liberty Meadows, a daily strip that can also be found in collected volumes at a bookstore/comic shop near you. I’ve heard of the strip/books for years, but hadn’t given them a look. Until today. Thanks to for pointing out the uncensored gallery to me. (And, looking at the FAQ on the site, I just discovered that Mr. Cho lives in Columbia, MD… where I grew up before I moved to North Scare-o-lina.)
• 777-9311
• I need a new printer. Any suggestions?

I should call it a night. I think that I shall… after a tall, cold glass of cow squeezin’s.

Namaste.

¹ – “on the computer”

Sunday
Daylight Savings Time. It is a concept that eludes most cats. Or, maybe they just don’t care. Either way, Sissy was urging me to “rise and shine” sometime around 9:30 this morning. Given the fact that I didn’t get to bed until somewhere around 5:00 this morning, I wasn’t having any part of that. I woke up long enough to pet her a few times and then faded back into the quiet darkness of sleep until after 11:00.

I took the bike out for a 5.5-mile ride. I need to ride more often. And get back into the gym on a regular basis. Around 1.25 miles, my legs were feeling a bit tired/stiff; by the time I hit 2.5 miles, I seemed to “hit my stride” and get my second wind.

Bowling last night was good. Very good… as long as you don’t count my warm-up game: 91-162-118-156-134-222-133. I was rather happy. Breakfast was good. Cheers was packed; it was rather dead when we got there, but within :30 minutes of our arrival, people started pouring in. Among them were a plethora of fashion violations. It wasn’t pretty.

Stray Toasters

• You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!
  You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!
  *taste*
  Two great tastes that taste great together: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
  Many of you may remember that from the old Reese’s ads. In a similar (but completely twisted) vein, there is a site that combines Lego® and death: Block Death.

• This site reminds me of Think Geek-lite.
• Diesel Sweeties (Thanks, Nyx)
• Wild, chaotic
  Peak of my erotic
  There’s a riot going on…

• In the “Just in time for Easter” file: What happens when good people do bad things to marshmallow confections? Find out at Peep Research.

Time to get ready for the rest of the day.

Namaste.

I didn’t sleep very well last night, but I can deal with that. If push comes to shove, there’s always caffeine. Sweet, sweet caffeine…

I spent the early part of the day hanging out with . Her sister and niece showed up a little later. While there, I climbed my first tree of the year – I was helping to clear some fallen branches.

I had planned on getting a bike ride in, but I think that I’ll hold off on that until tomorrow. Not quite sure what I’m doing with the rest of the day, but I am under the suspicion that it might (finally) include kite-flying. The only question is “Where…?”

Stray Toasters

• Looking at last night’s poll, it seems as though there are a lot of skim milk drinkers out there.
• Batman: Dark Justice. The latest short from Bat in the Sun Productions.
• I should probably do a load or two of laundry…
• …and straighten up the HCC, too.
• Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 = Fun.
• I got real bored on a Friday night
  Couldn’t find a damn thing to do
  So I pulled out a suit
  About the same color as my BMW

• : Click here.
• : Click here and here.
• If you’re a fan of The Simpsons, next season seems to be a little up-in-the-air. Why? Salary disputes. More info here.

Time to find some trouble to get into.

Namaste.